Superman Lore Introduces Bold New Kryptonian Superpower

Aug 13, 2026 - 04:04

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Superman Lore Introduces Bold New Kryptonian Superpower

Published Aug 12, 2026, 7:33 PM EDT

Nicolas Ayala is a Senior Writer for the Comics team at ScreenRant, with over five years of experience writing about Superhero media, action movies, and TV shows.

DC adds a new Kryptonian power to Superman lore, rendering Clark Kent's closest allies helpless against one of his fiercest foes. Green Kryptonite may be Superman's most famous weakness, but it's far from the only force capable of bringing him down. Beyond all harmful Kryptonite colors, magic has long sidestepped Superman's natural defenses, and certain forms of telepathy, exotic energy, radiation, and powerful psychic attacks leave him vulnerable to enemies who can target his mind instead of his body. Solar deprivation presents another problem, since his abilities depend on stored solar energy and prolonged exposure to conditions that block or drain that energy can reduce his strength.

Superman has never needed to become immune to Green Kryptonite to become much harder to kill with it. Decades of experience have taught him how to recognize its presence and respond before prolonged exposure becomes fatal. On the flip side, Superman's experience with Green K also means that many of his foes are on a constant search for more clever ways to harm him. Placing Superman at the center of moral conundrums or putting his loved ones in danger is one of the go-to strategies villains like Lex Luthor and General Zod use on a regular basis.

Still, toying with Superman's Kryptonian powers is always a key asset for the Man of Steel's villains, especially when targeting Superman's loved ones is his enemies' main strategy.

General Zod Can Use His Kryptonian Powers Through A Human Host

Supergirl #6; Written By Sophie Campbell; Art By Joe Quiñones, Paolo Villanelli, And Arif Prianto

General Zod controls Lois Lane in Supergirl #6

General Zod is currently the main Superman villain threatening Earth in DC Comics, having usurped El Caldero to transform it into the Kingdom of Zod, and weaponized its Kryptonite, leading the whole world to be struck with a deadly Kryptonite-based virus. As the Super-Family heads to confront him, Zod reveals he's the reason why Lois Lane suddenly gained her Superwoman abilities, which Zod is able to control remotely. Besides being exposed to dangerous levels of Green K, Lois is now Zod's key to recover his full Kryptonian power and strike the Earth with no Superman to stop him.

Zod's remote command of Lois Lane's powers is a brand-new type of Kryptonian ability, and possibly one of the most dangerous introduced in recent years. While temporary, this new power could make Lois Zod's top soldier against her will. Supergirl #6 shows what the final state of this ability could look like with the introduction of the Eradicatrix, a female variant of the Eradicator modeled after Lois Lane herself that can easily overpower Supergirl and her Super-Force team, plus all other members of the Super-Family.

DC Is Finally Exploring General Zod Beyond His Traditional Story

General Zod Has Accepted Krypton's Destruction... To Become Even More Twisted

General Zod reveals his new Kryptonian ability in DC Comics

General Zod has spent much of his history trapped inside a narrow definition of his origins, as the Kryptonian who survived in the Phantom Zone, arrived on Earth, and tried to impose Krypton's legacy on humanity. The basic premise works exceptionally well as a Superman conflict, but Zod's current storyline finally pushes him into new territory that has little to do with simply being another Kryptonian who wants Superman's world. Zod's decision to spread a Kryptonite virus turns his greatest biological vulnerability into a weapon against others, and his conquest of El Caldero gives him territory and a population he can rule according to his own authoritarian philosophy.

Zod's attempt to fracture the Super-Family also targets something more personal than Superman's physical strength: the network of relationships that has become central to Clark Kent's identity. Zod can still be brutal and authoritarian while gaining fresh strategies and ambitions that make him less predictable. Previously, Earth One continuity also offered a different interpretation of Zod's relationship with Krypton and Superman, as writer J. Michael Straczynski re-imagined the villain as Zod-El, the biological brother of Jor-El and Kal-El's uncle. Although Zod's current plan is bound to be thwarted, Krypton's destruction is far enough to allow him to try something radically new again.

Which Kryptonian ability do you consider overpowered?

Supergirl #6 is now available from DC Comics